The Shondikes – Psychotic Make Out Music

The Shondikes are a musical collective that seems to be based around songwriter, vocalist and multi instrumentalist Mick Modell. The Shondikes claim that each and every track on this album was mixed differently, even during sections of individual songs, apparently they turned up all the parts of the songs they liked best. They describe this technique as producing psychotic maximum mono soul power for lovers, so a unique approach and genre would appear to be on display here.

From the opening number, Greasy Sex Disco, it becomes clear that we are dealing with a unique hybrid of all that is trashy in rock ‘n roll, incorporating the attitude and swagger of garage bands, the energy of rock n roll, the DIY approach of punk, the powerful delivery of soul and even occasional sleazy lounge stylings. The song titles are as gloriously demented as the rest of the album, titles such as Cocaine Sex Slave Party and White Vampire Speed add to the overall intoxicated, sleazy and chaotic impression that this album delivers on every level, on every track.

It’s not often you can describe a band as unique, but The Shondikes leave you with little option, at their core they are a garage band, but the random approach and hybrid of styles is so chaotic and varied that you can’t really pin it down. On the downside the way it has been mixed is both a hindrance and a help on this album, at times you lose elements of the songs and in others it brings the finest elements to the fore, whilst I will always applaud and support bands doing things on their terms, I can’t help but feel that some coherent production could have made this a great album. As it is Psychotic Make Out Music is a glorious trashy mess of an album and I doubt there’s anything else out there quite like it.

Psychotic Make Out Music can be ordered from Glunk Records here